S.M. Stirling
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Stephen Michael Stirling is a Canadian-American science fiction and fantasy author.
Stirling was born in Metz, France on September 30, 1953 to an English mother and Canadian father. He has lived in several countries and currently resides in New Mexico in the United States with his wife Jan.
He is particularly adept at describing military situations and militaristic cultures. He holds right wing opinions in many areas, agreeing with the aggressive neoconservative position on the Middle East and supporting neoliberal economics. He has also criticized the U.S.'s current medical system, and has shown preference for Canadian-style socialized medicine.
However, as an atheist he opposes the Christian right which currently has a heavy influence in the Republican party, and thus supports the Democrats. He often describes people with cultural values significantly different from modern western views, especially with a more liberal attitude to sexuality, in a sympathetic (or at least neutral) way. One of his recurring topics is the influence of the culture on an individual's outlook and values, with a particular emphasis that most people and societies consider themselves to be (mostly) moral. He frequently collaborates with other authors, including David Drake, Jerry Pournelle and Anne McCaffrey.
Stirling is probably best-known for his Draka series of alternate history novels and the more recent Island in the Sea of Time time travel/alternate history trilogy. His novels Go Tell The Spartans and Prince of Sparta are cult novels of antiguerilla warfare among military officers.
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Bibliography
Fifth Millennium series
These are a collection of post-holocaust fantasy novels, in which civilization was destroyed (probably a nuclear war) in something near our present time and new civilizations have grown up. The novels are set in about the year 5000 AD. There are elements of magic or psionics present, but they are fairly low powered. Two additional novels in this series (Lion's Heart and Lion's Soul both by Karen Wehrstein) overlap these novels but were not authored or co-authored by Stirling. Shadow's Daughter by Shirley Meier is also part of the series.
- Snowbrother (1985)
- The Sharpest Edge (1986) (with Shirley Meier) (Later re-written and expanded as Saber and Shadow)
- The Cage (1989) (with Shirley Meier)
- Shadow's Son (1991) (with Shirley Meier and Karen Wehrstein)
- Saber and Shadow (1992) (with Shirley Meier)
Draka series
The Draka novels postulate a dystopian slave-holding militaristic (white) African empire (founded by American Loyalists escaped to South Africa after the American Revolution and later joined by defeated Confederates after the American Civil War) and follows its historical development through the 19th and 20th century. The Draka culture is remarkable for combining a strictly race- and class based hierarchical society with complete gender-equality (including female soldiers in integrated military units in combat roles) and a natural acceptance of nudity and homosexuality.
- Marching Through Georgia (1988)
- Under the Yoke (1989)
- The Stone Dogs (1990)
- Drakon (1995)
- The Domination (2000) (Omnibus edition of first 3 works)
- Drakas! (2000) (Anthology edited by Stirling)
General series
These are a retelling of the life of Belisarius, set on a colony planet with roughly late 19th century technology.
with David Drake
- The Forge (1991)
- The Hammer (1992)
- The Anvil (1993)
- The Steel (1993)
- The Sword (1995)
- The Chosen (1996)
- The Reformer (1999)
Falkenberg's Legion series
Note that earlier volumes in this series, staring with The Mercenary, were solely the work of Pournelle. These form part of the larger "CoDominium" series, that also includes The Mote in God's Eye by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven.
with Jerry Pournelle
Flight Engineer series
with James Doohan
Nantucket series
In Island in the Sea of Time the island of Nantucket is transported by an unknown physical process ("The Event"/"The Change", in the series) back in time into the Bronze Age circa 1250 BC (corresponding to the late Heroic Age of Greek mythology). The trilogy describes the conflict between the different factions of the island's population- some trying to dominate the world, others trying to better it- and the different Bronze Age civilizations. Dies the Fire (2004) shows the effects of The Event on the rest of the planet- the world Nantucket left behind- a world where electricity and guns no longer work.
- Island in the Sea of Time (1997)
- Against the Tide of Years (1998)
- On the Oceans of Eternity (2000)
- Dies the Fire (2004)
- The Protector's War (September 1, 2005)
- A Meeting at Corvallis (forthcoming)
Terminator 2 series
Other Novels
belonging to series by other authors
- The Children's Hour (1991) (with Jerry Pournelle) (Part of the "Man/Kizin wars" series)
- Blood Feuds (1993) (with Judith Tarr and Susan Shwartz and Harry Turtledove (Part of the "War World" sub-series in the "Co-dominium" series, originally created by Jerry Pournelle.)
- The City who Fought (1993) (with Anne McCaffrey) (Part of the "Ship who Sang" series)
- Blood Vengeance (1994) (with Susan Shwartz and Judith Tarr and Harry Turtledove and Jerry Pournelle (Also part of the "War World" sub-series)
- The Ship Avenged (1997) (Part of the "Ship who Sang" series)
- Jimmy the Hand (2003) (with Raymond E. Feist)
not part of any series
- The Rose Sea (1994) with Holly Lisle
- The Peshawar Lancers (2001)
- Conquistador (2003)
External links
- The official S.M. Stirling Web Site (http://www.smstirling.com) (also has a "compleat" bibliography)
- Several excerpts (http://hem.bredband.net/b104699/books/index.htm#SMS) (in many cases several chapters long) from Stirling's novels.
- Bibliography (http://scifan.com/writers/ss/StirlingSM.asp) on SciFan
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